


(You're the) Light in the Dark

by VanamesGurl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Fluff, M/M, boys being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 20:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14143848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanamesGurl/pseuds/VanamesGurl
Summary: Lance and Keith are being made to marry! That's it, that's the fic.





	(You're the) Light in the Dark

“You’re kidding, right?” He demands, furious. “We  _ can’t _ be this desperate. They are our sworn enemies!”

“Enough!” His father roars. “I am your king, Keith, and you will obey me. Enemies or not, we are in a desperate situation. The Neanids get closer every day, and our soldiers cannot withstand them alone. We must have allies, and the Altea people are the strongest in the land. You know this. You are sworn to defend your people, to always do what is best for them. You must put yourself second.”

“You may be king, but you are also a father.” Keith spits, pacing back and forth. The king watches him from his spot on the throne. “You have already married off my brother! Is his marriage not enough? Were the allies Shiro gathered not enough? Must you sell my future, too?” Keith knows he’s being selfish, but marriage? To a stranger? He’s only nineteen!

“Prince Takashi has made me proud. You should be proud of him, too. He has made himself a home with the hand he was dealt, and you would be wise to follow his example.” Slowly, the king rises, his pale skin almost translucent with age and stress. The once powerful king is now a shadow of his former glory, a mere spector in place of his father. Keith feels the loss like a knife in the chest every time he sees the king. “I will not tolerate your selfishness any more. You are to marry the Altean Prince Lance tomorrow. They are already here, settling into the guest wing.”

Keith gapes.  _ Prince?! _ “Prince?!”

“Yes.” The king doesn’t look back at his son as he makes his way slowly out of the throne room. “Since you are second-born, as is he, your union does not demand offspring. It is purely political. Neither of you will be King, of any land, so gender doesn’t matter.” With that, the doors slam. Keith is left gaping in the throne room, alone.

   One day, and then he is a married man. One day, and he will be forced to wed some stranger, forced to spend the rest of his life with a man he will not love. Keith feels the walls closing in, like the bars of the cage. The guards lining the walls, a constant since his childhood, are suddenly faceless sentries, watching him like vultures in trees as he lay dying. The purple and red hues of the room, once so elegant and comforting, are suddenly too bright, too much. He has to get out, he has to  _ move, _ before he loses his mind.

So he runs, flees the cage, bursts into the hall, and races to the one sanctuary he has in the puppet show he calls a life. He barges into the guards’ training grounds, the sunlight blinding and the fresh air soothing, and storms over to the rack of practice swords. He snatches one at random and immediately begins hacking at the straw-stuffed dummy before him. In too short a time, the dummy lays decimated on the floor. Keith growls and turns to the next one.

He still feels restless, like there is too much energy in him, too much anger to think clearly. As he attacks with reckless abandon, he spirals. He’s burning up and breaking down, he’s twisted up and knocked flat. His whole life, he had clung to the one freedom he was given: his future spouse. He had to walk, talk, dress, even  _ eat _ like a prince at all hours, every day. He had to be a role model, an educated, well-mannered young man. He was never just a boy. But when he considered his future, he always imagined either marrying someone even more powerful than his father, or someone so dirt poor they couldn’t afford their own last name. Anything to anger his father. 

Now, even that is taken from him. It’s infuriating, humiliating, absolutely horrifying. How could he be expected to go through with this?

* * *

 

Lance drops onto the bed dramatically as his footman and best friend continues unpacking his bag. He groans, loud and long, but Hunk doesn’t even blink. So Lance groans again. And again. Once more? Hunk won’t even look at him! How  _ rude. _ Lance inhales deeply, until his lungs fill entirely, and lets out a final, almost-screaming, groan. Hunk sighs and straightens from where he’d crouched to pick up a fallen shirt. Without turning around, he asks “What’s wrong, Lance?”

  “I’m just going to ignore your patronizing tone, and answer that as if you were a caring best friend,” Lance huffs. He then takes another breath before bursting. “I am going to be  _ married _ to some random guy in two days! What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’? He’s going to be some old, ugly, creepy guy! I’m going to be stuck with him for the rest of time until we  _ die _ and we’re gonna have kids and their faces are going to be marred by  _ his _ ugliness and I’m going to be some poor wench!  _ That _ is what’s wrong, Hunk!”

“Lance, for the last time, you can’t have kids, you’re both men.” Hunk folds the shirt and sits on the edge of the bed. “Also, the Prince is going to be pretty young. His brother, Prince Shiro is older, but even Prince Shiro is only in his twenties. Prince Keith can’t be much older than you. You’re panicking over nothing, Lance. As usual.”

Lance sits up, pouting at his friend. “I resent your implication that I constantly panic, you know.”

“What implication?” Hunk asks, eyes wide and innocent. “I implied nothing. I just said it outright. I’ll say it again, if you want.”

“Nope!” Lance yelps, springing forward to cover his friend’s mouth with his hand. “I’m good!” Hunk slaps his hand away, which leads to him gasping dramatically. Pretty soon, they’re falling onto the floor, wrestling like children.

Hunk manages to grab a soft pillow from the bed and swings it at the prince’s head, but Lance is faster. He ducks and rolls to the side, before lunging across the bed, now armed with his own fluffy weaponry. Friend stares down friend, and the air crackles with tension. Lance tenses, slipping into a battle stance, and Hunk smirks tauntingly. They move as one, surging forward to meet on the bed in a duel of pillows and wit. Within moments, the bed’s blankets are wrapped around them like snares, the remaining pillows lay scattered about the floor, and feathers fall like some strange snowstorm. The boys lay, breathless and laughing, on the floor. 

“Did that help?” Hunk asks, still slightly breathless. 

“Yeah. I’m good now.” Lance smiles at his oldest friend, his only friend, and they set about cleaning the mess they’d made.  When they finish, Hunk stretches with a grunt.

“I need to get to my room. It’s right next door, so don’t hesitate to come over if you start to freak out again. Okay?” Lance nods reassuringly, and, with that, Hunk leaves.

Alone in this new, empty room, Lance faces the window. The palace grounds are well trimmed, overflowing with beautiful flowers from all over this kingdom. A guard is seen on the edges of the open green, but it’s mostly civilians inhabiting the park. Lance smiles at the pleasant picture. Back home, the grounds outside his window were constantly full of guards training and yelling. Here, it was… soft, almost. Like a pink sky as the sun sets. 

But Lance doesn’t smile because he enjoys the tranquility, or the relaxed atmosphere. Oh, no. This prince has got  _ plans. _ He turns his back to the window and starts pulling the sheets from his bed. 

Time to put those plans into action.

* * *

 

Keith knows he isn’t a coward. He isn’t, really - he’s faced down bullies, dangerous animals, and even assassins. He has never once run from a fight, even if his brother Shiro insists that turning his cheek would be a wiser choice. So, Keith is brave. He knows he is. The problem is, he’s  brave in physical combat. 

This whole ‘emotional’ wedding planned for him? The idea that he’ll be forever united with someone he doesn’t even know, someone he will have to trust and open up to? Yeah, no, he’s got his tail between his legs and he’s running for the hills. 

This doesn’t make him a coward, though. No, he’s just… planning a tactical retreat. For an unspecified amount of time. Without considering the consequences.

...Yeah, maybe he’s being a coward. He doesn’t care, though, not really. He just has to get away. Shiro can negotiate them a bigger army than this marriage could gain, right? Besides, Keith is a fighter, trained to be a general some day. He’s no prize to be bargained with.

All of his reasoning isn’t doing much to quell the guilt building in his stomach as he ties his bedsheets together, though. He ignores his traitor of a gut and flings the sheets out the window with a vengeance. The courtyard is empty this time of night, since the guards take five minutes to shift. He doesn’t have much time to make it to the town beyond the palace, but he’s always been fast. This’ll be a breeze.

He makes it about halfway before he hears a bird being strangled. Alarmed, he looks up to see that there’s no bird, just some… guy. He’s a few windows away, and it’s dark, so Keith can’t really make out his features too well, but it’s obvious he’s trying to do the same thing. He seems to have slipped though, judging by his tight grip and muffled curses as he sways on his own sheet-rope.  _ He’s being too loud. _

“Hey!” Keith hisses, praying that the guy hears him. Luckily, his voice carries enough that the other guy stiffens and turns his head slowly.

“God?” It’s official. Keith has decided. This guy is an idiot.

“No, over here!” Keith carefully lets go with one hand to wave. The guy must see him, because he relaxes a little. “What are you  _ doing?” _

“Just hanging.” Yeah, Keith is going to commit a murder. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Keith snaps, officially fed up with this arrogant loudmouth that’s bound to get him caught.

“The same thing  _ I’m _ doing!” The guy cries, flailing a hand dramatically. Unfortunately, this makes him slip several feet and he shrieks in alarm. Keith shushes him again, and the guy tilts his head back to glare up at him. “As I was saying, you seem to be doing the same thing as me, so why are you asking me what I’m doing in the first place?”

Keith gracefully slides down until they’re once again at eye-level before he speaks. “It’s a reasonable question!”

“Then it was reasonable when I asked it!”

“No, when you asked it, it was stupid!”

“How was it stupid? It’s the same damn question!”

“Shut up!”

“You can’t tell me to shut up just because you don’t want to admit I’m right! Who do you even think you you are, you little son of a-”

“Guards! Drop!” Keith cuts him off, and both slide the rest of the way to the ground. With a quick jerk, the sheets come loose and fall from  the window. Keith catches them and stuffs them under a bush before kicking dirt to hide the glaringly white color. He turns in time to see the stranger doing the same thing, albeit a bit less smoothly. While he kicks dirt over his own sheets, Keith takes a chance to examine the newest stressor in his life.

The guy is clothed in a gray, loose tunic and form-fitting black pants. His shoes are simple brown boots, and the only accessory on him is a chain tucked into his shirt, probably hiding some kind of jewel. He’s about an inch taller than Keith, lanky, with short, messy brown hair and caramel skin. When the stranger faces him, Keith is met with the bluest eyes he’s ever seen.

* * *

 

Lance turns to face his unexpected companion, more complaints on his tongue.He’s met with a slightly shorter, slim guy. He’s got long, black hair that’s pulled out of his face in a short ponytail, and a red bandana obscuring his face. He’s wearing a simple black shirt with short sleeves, and loose, black pants. His arms are crossed, showing off a few scars and defined muscles, clearly from harsh training and past battles.  His eyes must be a dark blue, but in the faint light of the moon they look almost violet. His whole countenance is rough, like a lump of coal before being ignited.

“Who are you?” Lance snaps, never one for formalities. “Who do you think you are, yelling at me and telling me to shut up?”

The guy straightens, his eyes narrow, and Lance is reminded of a cat he’d seen hunting once. The cat had been eerily still, completely fixated on its prey. It’s eyes had narrowed, too, and the intensity of the glare seemed to have alerted the rodent. Before the poor mouse could do more than sit up, though, the cat had pounced and snapped its neck.

Lance had never felt more like a mouse than in this moment.

“Who am I? I am Prince Keith of this kingdom, and  _ you _ are in my home.” Even the guy’s voice is rough. “So, I would like to know, who are  _ you?” _

“Prince Keith?” Lance gasps, taking a step back.  _ Oh, _ he thinks, faintly,  _  this is my husband-to-be. Oh, shi- _

“That’s what I said.” Keith snarls. 

“I, uh, I’m Prince Lance.” Wow, the ground sure is interesting. Is that a rock? That’s a nice rock. Much better than making eye contact with Keith, that’s for sure. Oh, look, a flower.

_ “You’re _ Lance?” Oh, another flower. “The man I’m supposed to marry?” Is that another pebble? How intriguing. “What are you -- are you running away? Really?”

Lance makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. Keith groans in frustration, but he keeps his eyes on the ground. “Lance, will you at least look at me?”

“Fine.” Lance looks up and, oh boy, that was a mistake. Keith’s eyes are wide and full of emotion, easy to read. He’s frustrated, angry, lost, confused, and… scared. Lance feels himself relax a little.  _ At least we both have one thing in common already. I’m terrified. _ “Uh, hi.”

Keith pauses, as though he hadn’t expected Lance to actually look up. Now he’s uncertain. Another thing they have in common. “Hi?”

_ Oh no, he’s cute. _

* * *

 

Keith can’t figure out how he feels. On the one hand, Lance has been loud, confrontational, overly dramatic, and entirely too much for Keith to process, and it had only been a few minutes since their meeting. On the other, he was also shy and nervous, and those were both emotions he could relate to a little too well. 

“So, marriage, huh?” Lance asks, scratching the back of his neck, eyes darting back and forth.

“Yeah. Marriage.” Wow, could they be any more awkward? Thank goodness Shiro was going to be king one day and not him. He’d be a diplomatic nightmare. Neither of them moves for a moment, suffocating in the awkward atmosphere. They both keep sneaking glances at the other, a fact Keith only figure out because they suddenly meet each other’s gaze. All at once, they’re laughing.

“This,” Lance snickers, “this is so awkward. So,  _ so, _ awkward.”

Keith’s laughing too, caught up in the absurdity. “This is crazy. We both tried to get out of here, all so we wouldn’t meet, and now here we are.”

Just a few minutes before, both princes were nervous wrecks, anxiously knotting sheets together and fervently praying for a quick escape. Now they’re just two boys guffawing in a courtyard under the half-moon. 

Finally, they calm down, smiling absently, still just looking at each other. This time, it’s more comfortable, though, so Keith considers that a plus. Lance opens his mouth, about to say something that would probably set them off again, when a voice calls out, “Intruders!”

Keiths swears under his breath, but Lance lights up. “Keith, you heard him -- we’re intruders! Run!”

For the first time in his carefully mapped out life, Keith goes completely with his gut. He grabs Lance’s outstretched hand ad the two take off, racing out of the courtyard, into the open grounds, and towards the bustling town beyond. He hears the guards calling out for them to stop, but their shouts are drowned out by Lance’s near-maniacal laughter, and the blood roaring in his ears. Keith feels free and wild, like the ground beneath his feet has fallen away. He’s flying across the open field, he soars as they slip past the castle’s wall, he’s untouchable as the hand in his grips tighter and they both take off together. Keith tosses a glance at Lance and his breath catches in his throat.

_ Oh man, he’s so gorgeous.  _

* * *

 

Lance has broken many rules before. Of course he has, what with how stifling his life would be otherwise. He’s snuck out, he’s snuck people into his chambers, he’s drank wine older than he is, and he’s been to the shadiest, greasiest parts of his own kingdom. But he’s never been chased by palace guards with a beautiful person, never ran away from his duties, never felt so weightless. 

They run through the town streets, still crowded despite the late hour. They duck and dodge and weave through the throng of the people, laughing and smiling so hard it feels as though their faces will stick that way forever. Lance can imagine worse fates.

Eventually, they slow to a halt, hidden in an alleyway behind a closed market stall that must sell fish, going by the smell. They’re trying to catch their breath and laugh at the same time, and the result is a wheezing mess that makes them laugh harder. They face each other and Lance grins, flushed with adrenaline and excitement. He tries to say something, but when he looks at Keith he finds himself mute.

Keith’s black hair has come loose, and it sits on his head like a living, very windswept and ruffled, creature. His almost-violet eyes are positively glowing, and his face is now longer obscured by that pesky bandana. The smile that he’s got fixed on Lance is blinding and entrancing and Lance is completely okay with losing his eyesight by staring at this boy’s smile for too long. 

“So, what now?” Keith asks, voice rough but light and soft.

“Well, we can’t hide forever. They’ll find us, and we’ll have a stupid wedding.” Lance reasons thoughtfully. Keith’s smile fades, so Lance is quick to continue. “But, they haven’t found us yet. So, let’s take our last night of freedom and have some fun.”

Keith smirks. “I think I know just the thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Me: *should be updating #NoFilter*  
> Me: *should be working on The Coldest Flames*  
> Also me: *posts entirely new fic in an AU*
> 
> So, I was writing this thing for class and it had to be 10 pages so I was like, fuck it, I'll do something new, but I'll use my favorite show as inspiration, right? So I finish writing it and, for shits and giggles, I decide to rewrite it, tweak it, and now here we are. I originally used other names, and then tried to find each name and change it to the vld character. But, if you see a random name, then here's the key:  
> Kaj = Hunk  
> Leith = Lance  
> Agni = Keith  
> Yuki = Shiro  
> I plan on making this a multichapter fic, but I'm not sure where to go from here. So, if you want to see anything happen, please leave a suggestion!!  
> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or some kudos, since it really helps me out!


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